Gidion's Hunt

by Bill Blume

  Gidion wondered if “Queen Bee” was the required code reference to Elizabeth. Using her name seemed borderline forbidden outside of the coven. He didn’t say anything to stop Roddy from running his mouth. He’d had to cut up Milton just to get what little information he’d already known. Milton had brains. Roddy was just a jerk with a mouth, and Gidion hoped that might give him something useful, maybe even a lead for finding Pete or Elizabeth’s daytime lair.

  “My little sister should be ready for it in a few years, lot sooner than he was. The Queen Bee likes the girls young.” Roddy all but vibrated with giddiness. “Oh, don’t give me that look. You and I both know I’ll be doing her a favor.”

  “By turning her into a whore who’s worth little more than a blood bag?”

  “At least she’ll get something out of it. Queen Bee treats her girls better than her own kind. You wouldn’t believe what she’s willing to do for them.”

  Something in the way Roddy said that reminded Gidion of Pete. Back when he’d caught Pete pretending to breastfeed that baby doll, his friend had lashed out like some cornered animal defending his turf. His jealousy for Sendy had bordered on hatred.

  “We both know that’s better for her than what’ll happen if she stays with my old man,” Roddy said. “Minute she starts growing tits, he’ll probably be trying to fuck her more than Mom.”

  The server came back to the table. “We’ll have your order ready in just a moment,” she said to Gidion and then turned her attention to Roddy. “What can I get you?” The way she asked made it sound more like she was warning them not to start any crap in her diner.

  “Nothing.” If they were all talking in hidden meanings, then that must have translated into “fuck off,” because the waitress got the message and went back to the bar.

  “Wow, I suddenly realized why Pete hates you so much,” Gidion said. “You might not look like him, but you act just like your dad.”

  Roddy went so still, he didn’t even breath.

  “Was that a little too personal?” Gidion offered his biggest smirk.

  “Not at all.” Roddy checked his watch, which he wore with the face positioned on the bottom of his wrist. “Oh, look at the time. What do you know? It’s on my side. Place only stays open until two, Gidion. We can wait.”

  He stood and knocked over the iced tea, sending an orange waterfall from the tabletop onto Gidion’s lap.

  “Oops.” Roddy laughed as Gidion jumped out of his seat, too late to avoid his jeans getting drenched.

  “Hey, Roddy!” Gidion’s shout stopped the departing asshole just short of the door.

  “What?”

  “Tell Elizabeth I’m really looking forward to meeting her.”

  Using the “Queen Bee’s” name smacked the cockiness from Roddy’s face. He didn’t say anything else, just walked out.

  The server came over with a small towel to wipe up the spill and offered him one for his pants. He made a token effort at drying them off. At least he still had a change of clothes in his car, assuming he could get to it.

  “You want another glass of tea?” she asked.

  “No, thanks. I’ve had enough.”

  He sat and divided his attention between checking the time and watching what the vampires were doing. For the moment, they appeared content to wait him out. With any luck, that would last long enough for Grandpa to get here. Even in public, he’d need to move fast to make his getaway.

  His cell vibrated in his hand, startling him as it displayed a phone number he didn’t recognize. A glance at the vampires confirmed it wasn’t one of them. He decided to answer it, wondering who it might be. Perhaps, the “Queen Bee?”

  “Hello?”

  “Gid, hey, it’s Andrea.”

  His mind was stuck in vampire hunter mode, so much so that it took him a moment to realize it was Seth’s girlfriend.

  “Andrea?” How did she even know his number? Puzzling together that answer didn’t take much effort: Seth. “What do you want?”

  “Look, Seth told me about what you’d said to him in gym class today. I just wanted to apologize.”

  Apologize? Like he really cared? Truth was, he did, but not with three vampires outside waiting for a chance to de-limb him and bleed him dry.

  “Andrea, this really isn’t a good time.”

  “I know it’s late and all.” Truth be told, she really did sound sorry, enough so that he regretted the tone he’d had in his voice. “It’s just that I know what good friends you and Seth are. I’m not wanting to mess that up or anything. I mean, I know I can be nosey and all, but I was just all excited when I heard about you and Tamara Gardner.”

  Just great. The rumor running around had him and Tamara connected by name. He was about to hang up on Andrea, but the next words out of her mouth froze him.

  “I can’t wait to hear what Stephanie Drake says when she finds out. I’ll bet she’ll be hot. She’s always so moody. I think it’s all that black she wears. I read somewhere that wearing dark colors is really bad for your inner chi. You know, you should probably dress in lighter colors, too. I bet you’d look good in aquamarine or maybe persimmon.”

  “Wait.” Holy crap. Had he heard her right? “Why would Stephanie Drake care about me dating Tamara?” Sure he knew the vampires wanted Tamara dead, but Andrea wouldn’t know jack about that.

  “Oh, so you really are dating her? That’s so cool, Gid! I hear she’s a really nice girl.”

  Jesus. “Andrea, just answer the question. What do Tamara and Stephanie have to do with each other?”

  “Oh!” She sounded excited that he’d finally shown an interest in the gossip he usually tuned out during their lunch break. “Well, this past summer, the bands from our school and Midlothian Springs and a bunch of other Chesterfield high schools went to camp together. You see, Stephanie was dating this guy from Midlothian Springs. He was a rising senior and from what I hear, he’s really hot but a total slut.”

  Oh, dear God. Would she get to the point already? Gidion glanced outside. The female vampire caught him looking and glared at him. Jeez, whoever the guy was who wrote girls were made of “sugar and spice and everything nice” never got caught in that Medusa’s gaze.

  “Anyway, this guy dumped Stephanie after less than three days at camp and hooked up with Tamara. Three days! Can you believe that? Such a creep.”

  She rambled on, but Gidion stopped listening closely as the dots connected in his mind. Roddy had just said Elizabeth would do almost anything for her girls, treated them better than her vampires. Good God! Could it really be that simple?

  “Andrea!” He had to cut her off. Lord, he hoped she was as deep into the school’s gossip as she sounded. “What’s the deal with Stephanie and Ms. Aldgate?”

  “You don’t know about that?” The way she said that made him wonder if he was the only person in school who didn’t know. Knowing his luck, she’d probably even mentioned this at lunch when he was trying NOT to listen to her.

  “Just answer the question, Andrea,” he said and quickly added, “please.”

  “Well, remember when Principal Vermin came by our class earlier today?”

  “Yeah, what about it?” Ugh! Like he wanted to think about the Vermin flirting with his teacher. Dad would be so much better for her.

  “Well, I hear Ms. Aldgate caught her plagiarizing on a term paper last year. Stephanie took AP World History as a freshman, just like me. Word has it she bought the paper from some guy who graduated from our school almost a decade ago, some Mallard or Milburn guy or something like that.”

  Sweet Jesus. “Milton Robbins. She got the paper from Milton Robbins, didn’t she?”

  “That might have been the guy’s name. Anyway, I’m not sure how Ms. Aldgate caught Stephanie cheating like that, but it actually ruined her streak of all-A’s since sixth grade. Oh, how horrible, right? From what I hear, her parents have been harassing the Vermin for weeks now trying to get Ms. Aldgate to let it slide and change her grade for the last nine weeks of
the previous school year from a C to an A.”

  Gidion laughed. All his vampire hunting, digging for a connection, and the answer had been staring him in the face all along.

  Stephanie Drake.

  What was it Roddy had just said? Elizabeth would do almost anything for her little girls. Was it that big of a stretch that “almost anything” would include hits on two people Stephanie hated?

  “Andrea, I gotta go, but I owe you one. Thanks. I promise I’ll talk to Seth later so I can apologize to him.” After he hung up, he realized he probably owed Andrea an apology, too. He’d blamed her for all the distance between him and his friends, but in hindsight, they’d done all the damage themselves.

  Fixing things with Seth and Andrea would have to wait, though. Finding Pete came first.

  He tried to craft a plan while he waited for Grandpa. His order was already prepared and paid for by the time Grandpa stopped in front of the Galaxy Diner in his white and rust pickup.

  Gidion was already running out the front door before the truck stopped. He had his cell phone in hand, in case he needed to dial 911 again. The vampires didn’t chase after him right away. They’d probably been expecting to grab him as he made a run for his Kia.

  “You okay, boy?” Grandpa didn’t really look at Gidion, his eyes assessing the trio of vampires.

  “Yeah, take the next left and floor it. I’m gonna need my car.”

  The vampires chased after them, but Grandpa did as he’d been told. That would give Gidion about a minute to hop in his car and roll. He readied for the pickup to stop as it made the turn onto Ellwood.

  “I’m three cars down on the left.” He glanced right to see the cop cars were still in front of Roddy’s house. They were probably still trying to find a key holder. “I’ll meet you back at the funeral home.”

  The Little Hearse came into view. He jumped out of the pickup and ran for the driver’s seat. Just as he pressed the button on his keychain to automatically unlock the doors, he realized the car was leaning too far on its side.

  “Son of a bitch!” The vampires had slashed both of the driver side tires.

  He threw open the trunk and grabbed the blue backpack and black bag with his change of clothes.

  “Hurry up, boy!”

  Gidion slammed the trunk shut. He glanced over his shoulder to see the vampires rounding the corner at a sprint. He tossed his bags into the back of the pickup and scrambled into the passenger seat. Grandpa hit the accelerator before he could close the door.

  The Little Hearse honked and flashed its lights as he used his keychain to lock it. The headlights gave him a brief look at Roddy’s face, good and pissed.

  “I’m gonna need to borrow the truck, Grandpa.”

  Grandpa laughed in that smoker, phlegmy way. “Getting run down like a rabbit by three vampires isn’t enough for one night?”

  “No, because I plan to end this tonight.”

  Chapter Thirty

  Grandpa Murphy spent the entire drive bitching about Gidion’s plan.

  “Not that I haven’t had my share of school teacher fantasies, boy, but keeping this bitch in my house is a bad idea.”

  “It’s either your place or the funeral home, and as to that first part—EWWW! Don’t feel like you’ve got to share every thought that goes through your brain.” Gidion looked up from the map book. “Take the next left.”

  Grandpa chuckled, clearly enjoying messing with him. This had to be punishment for last night and the plan for tonight.

  “There it is.” Gidion pointed to the street sign at the next corner. “Crater Street. Turn right and look for 8912.”

  They pulled into the driveway just three houses down. The rancher reminded him of the one Ms. Aldgate’s ex lived in. Only, this version looked much better. Even in the glow of only the front porch light, he could tell the yard was trimmed and landscaped. He wondered if she did it herself or paid someone.

  “We’ll follow you in her car.” Gidion got out of the pickup. “Try not to treat it like a Sunday afternoon.” He shut the door before Grandpa could get off a smart remark, or what he would assume passed for one.

  A small elephant statue was standing guard next to the front door. Gidion knocked. There was the sound of shuffling from inside but no voice. He gripped his box cutter as he saw the light coming through the peephole go dark, suggesting someone was looking at him.

  Only Ms. Aldgate came out when the door opened. He’d called ahead, but part of him worried the vampires might go after her before he got here. She wasn’t looking as put together as she usually did for class, wearing a t-shirt and jeans. She’d pulled her hair back into a ponytail and was wearing glasses. She looked more like a librarian. A random thought as to whether Grandpa had any fantasies about women in that occupation made him queasy.

  “Are you certain about this?” She had a large bag slung over her shoulder along with a purse as she locked her door behind her.

  “Not one doubt. We need you somewhere safe if this doesn’t go well.”

  She scowled at him. Given how the conversation had gone over the phone, he was surprised she hadn’t changed her mind and refused to leave.

  “What about the girl from Midlothian Springs?”

  “Already warned her. Called her after I got off the phone with you,” he said. “She lives with her parents. I don’t think they’re as likely to go after her.”

  He waved to Grandpa to roll out as they climbed into her dark green Honda Accord. “Nice car.”

  “Thank you.” She pulled out and kept a close tail on Grandpa’s truck. A heavy sigh slipped out and she directed a scowl towards him. “I was looking forward to sleeping in my bed again for the first time in almost a week.”

  “With any luck, you’re just delaying that by one more night.” Dear God, could Grandpa drive any slower? It was a miracle Gidion wasn’t still waiting in the Galaxy Diner the way he drove.

  His cell phone lit up and vibrated. Crap, who was calling now?

  “Shit, it’s Tamara.” Considering he’d practically just talked to her, he didn’t think this could be good. “What’s up? You all right?”

  “Remember you told me to keep track of any cars outside my house? Well, one just pulled up a few minutes after you called. No one’s gotten out of it yet either.”

  “Tam, hold on a moment.” He covered the mouthpiece to his phone as he saw an oncoming car. “Ms. Aldgate, you might want to sit lower.” He did the same. As the car neared, he saw it was a blue, four-door Toyota. He didn’t recognize the car, but he definitely recognized the two in it. It was Roddy’s pals, Schrödinger and Medusa. “Crap.”

  “What?” Ms. Aldgate looked over her shoulder. Gidion didn’t need to. He heard the other car’s tires squeal as they turned around to follow. Didn’t matter how low they’d been sitting. There was no way those two wouldn’t recognize Grandpa’s beat up truck.

  “Don’t panic.” Gidion looked back to see the Toyota rushing to catch up, but slowing as it got closer. “They’re just going to follow until we stop.” At least, he assumed they would. A car wreck invited police and potentially left them without a car to drive their catch to a more convenient killing place.

  “Gidion, what’s happening?” Tamara sounded pretty freaked.

  “We’ve got two vampires following us. We’re okay for the moment. What about your guy?” He was willing to bet it was Roddy and wondered if he had any other friends with him.

  “Still hasn’t gotten out of the car.” Her voice was rising, even as she struggled to whisper.

  “I want you to call 911. Tell them you’ve got a suspicious vehicle outside your house. Don’t embellish. Just give them what you can see. And if they ask if you want to be seen by the officer, tell them ‘no’.”

  “Why not?” Ouch! She did not sound happy about that.

  “Because they’re going to wonder why you’re so jumpy about it, and what are you going to tell them?”

  “Okay, okay…” She wasn’t happy about it, not
that he could blame her. “Sorry, I just wish you were you here.”

  “Me, too. I’ll call you back as soon as I’ve dealt with the two following me, so keep your phone on vibrate.”

  “Got it.”

  He hung up and called Grandpa, hoping he was paying attention.

  “Listen sharp, boy,” Grandpa answered without giving Gidion a chance to speak. “If you’re calling to say anything like, ‘I told you so,’ just remember who signs your paychecks.”

  “I want to set up an ambush. Let’s go for the elementary school on Reams Road. We’re coming up on Midlothian Turnpike. You go right. We’ll go left, take the long way.”

  Gidion could hear Grandpa grumble. “All right, boy. I’ll head to Pullbrooke Drive. You better give me enough time or you’ll be on your own.”

  “You got it, Grandpa,” he said. “By the way, I told you so.”

  He hung up and looked over to Ms. Aldgate. She was giving him that look she usually reserved for students who didn’t show up with their homework. Somehow, her librarian look for tonight made it a little more intimidating.

  “Mind telling me what we’re doing?”

  He smiled and laughed nervously. “Just turn left onto Midlothian when we get there and head down to 288. If our friends get out of the car at any of our stops and try to approach, just run the light. Stay in the left lane unless you’re certain you can pass any car in front of you. Leave extra room between you and any car stopped in front of you. We don’t want to get boxed in.”

  A quick check confirmed the doors were already locked.

  “You know how to get to Reams Road Elementary?”

  “Yes, I’ve been there a few times. But heading towards 288 is in the opposite direction.”

  “Just trust me. I want to take our time on this. No matter how aggressive they get, don’t speed if you can help it.”

  When they reached the intersection with Midlothian Turnpike, the vampires followed Ms. Aldgate’s car. Gidion had been pretty sure they would, but he’d had a brief moment of fear they might prove unpredictable and go after Grandpa. The pickup disappeared from sight. From this point forward, they were operating on faith.